---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tom Chowattukunnel <nivnithzak@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Subject: HAITI-first day
To: HOME <nivnithzak@gmail.com>
HAITI-first day
Up at 4am to Fort Pierce,Florida MIF(Missionary International Field)airport.Unloaded gear,larger items left on pallets in front of hangar to be transferred by forklift to a DC3 cargo plane.Inside hangar had various breakfast items,coffee,juice,etc and we were encouraged to take bottled H2O and an MRE(meal ready to eat)for the road.Hangar was full of all kinds of medical supplies,food and H2O bound for Haiti.
Got acquainted with others of our group,consisting of 14 people:
"O" Team-Ob/Gyn,Ophthalmologist and Orthopedist(specializing in the treatment of pregnant women with broken bones and red eyes)-all 3 from Marion
3 nurses and daughter of one nurse-all from Florida
1 internist-from Florida
1 physicians assistant-from Florida
5 others-Florida jail chaplain whose brother is a missionary(pastor Dan)living in Haiti,teacher at Indiana Weslyan,Marion(brotherinlaw of aforementioned brothers),teacher of disaster management at Ohio Christian,photographer from Florida paper,and owner of Florida home health company
Departure was around 9am in 48-passenger jet owned by Hendrick Motorsport(Nascar racing team).Absolutely no security checks,just a prayer for a safe journey and productive trip.Camera crew from Hendrick shot footage of us boarding,may be shown later on Speed channel special about relief for Haiti.Stopped to refuel in Bahamas and
noticed SANDALS Resort jet.Wonder how many Haitians will ever go to a resort?
As we neared Haiti started seeing helicopters and medical ships offshore.Landed at Portauprince airport(Missionary Air Field) around noon.Surrendered our passports and waited to be picked up by pastor Dan.
Uniformed search and rescue teams from several countries were awaiting departure.I spoke with a gentleman from England,who said that no more survivors were left to be extricated from rubble.I witnessed a teenaged girl being loaded onto a chopper for transport to a medical vessel.It had taken her own family 3 days to free her from their collapsed home.She has severe crush trauma to her lower legs and her feet will most likely require amputation in order to preserve her life.As I contemplated this,I remembered long ago reading a caption for a poster:"I used to worry that I had no shoes,until I saw someone who had no feet."
Finally,after a long wait we got our passports,our gear and left in 2 trucks.I sat in the rear seat of an old Toyota pickup and looked for signs of earthquake damage.I did see several collapsed buildings,but our route was such that we purposedly avoided areas of major destruction.
Our mission base was a nice 2 story house,within a walled compound.Razor-sharp barbed wire adorned the top of the walls.Bathrooms all had western-style toilets.Pastor Dan reviewed some basic house rules,including the cardinal rule of H2O conservation: "If it's yellow,let it mello.If it's brown,flush it down."He also explained that "flush" may have to be done manually,which meant dump a bucket of H2O in the bowl.I did take a shower that evening,but without any hot H2O.
Supper prepared by Sami,Haitian chef, was quite tasty.Freshly prepared rolls(no butter),rice and beans with chicken stew to pour as gravy over the rice.Internet was accessible so I checked and sent a few emails,the only time I did that while in Haiti.
Later that evening there was apparently an aftershock,so we had an "earthquake drill".Pastor Dan felt that even though our house was well-built and could probably withstand further tremors,it would be prudent for all to be aware of the appropriate exits.So when asked,everyone met outside and briefly enjoyed the night sky.If not for my faith in God and his protection,I wouldn't be here.
As I fell asleep,I thought of some similarities(palm trees,banana trees,climate,certain houses and narrow lanes)between Haiti and Kerala,India(my place of birth).As I contemplated this further,I realized that Haiti is more like the Kerala of 30-40 years ago,not modern Kerala.
Sent from my iPhone
From: Tom Chowattukunnel <nivnithzak@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Subject: HAITI-first day
To: HOME <nivnithzak@gmail.com>
HAITI-first day
Up at 4am to Fort Pierce,Florida MIF(Missionary International Field)airport.Unloaded gear,larger items left on pallets in front of hangar to be transferred by forklift to a DC3 cargo plane.Inside hangar had various breakfast items,coffee,juice,etc and we were encouraged to take bottled H2O and an MRE(meal ready to eat)for the road.Hangar was full of all kinds of medical supplies,food and H2O bound for Haiti.
Got acquainted with others of our group,consisting of 14 people:
"O" Team-Ob/Gyn,Ophthalmologist and Orthopedist(specializing in the treatment of pregnant women with broken bones and red eyes)-all 3 from Marion
3 nurses and daughter of one nurse-all from Florida
1 internist-from Florida
1 physicians assistant-from Florida
5 others-Florida jail chaplain whose brother is a missionary(pastor Dan)living in Haiti,teacher at Indiana Weslyan,Marion(brotherinlaw of aforementioned brothers),teacher of disaster management at Ohio Christian,photographer from Florida paper,and owner of Florida home health company
Departure was around 9am in 48-passenger jet owned by Hendrick Motorsport(Nascar racing team).Absolutely no security checks,just a prayer for a safe journey and productive trip.Camera crew from Hendrick shot footage of us boarding,may be shown later on Speed channel special about relief for Haiti.Stopped to refuel in Bahamas and
noticed SANDALS Resort jet.Wonder how many Haitians will ever go to a resort?
As we neared Haiti started seeing helicopters and medical ships offshore.Landed at Portauprince airport(Missionary Air Field) around noon.Surrendered our passports and waited to be picked up by pastor Dan.
Uniformed search and rescue teams from several countries were awaiting departure.I spoke with a gentleman from England,who said that no more survivors were left to be extricated from rubble.I witnessed a teenaged girl being loaded onto a chopper for transport to a medical vessel.It had taken her own family 3 days to free her from their collapsed home.She has severe crush trauma to her lower legs and her feet will most likely require amputation in order to preserve her life.As I contemplated this,I remembered long ago reading a caption for a poster:"I used to worry that I had no shoes,until I saw someone who had no feet."
Finally,after a long wait we got our passports,our gear and left in 2 trucks.I sat in the rear seat of an old Toyota pickup and looked for signs of earthquake damage.I did see several collapsed buildings,but our route was such that we purposedly avoided areas of major destruction.
Our mission base was a nice 2 story house,within a walled compound.Razor-sharp barbed wire adorned the top of the walls.Bathrooms all had western-style toilets.Pastor Dan reviewed some basic house rules,including the cardinal rule of H2O conservation: "If it's yellow,let it mello.If it's brown,flush it down."He also explained that "flush" may have to be done manually,which meant dump a bucket of H2O in the bowl.I did take a shower that evening,but without any hot H2O.
Supper prepared by Sami,Haitian chef, was quite tasty.Freshly prepared rolls(no butter),rice and beans with chicken stew to pour as gravy over the rice.Internet was accessible so I checked and sent a few emails,the only time I did that while in Haiti.
Later that evening there was apparently an aftershock,so we had an "earthquake drill".Pastor Dan felt that even though our house was well-built and could probably withstand further tremors,it would be prudent for all to be aware of the appropriate exits.So when asked,everyone met outside and briefly enjoyed the night sky.If not for my faith in God and his protection,I wouldn't be here.
As I fell asleep,I thought of some similarities(palm trees,banana trees,climate,certain houses and narrow lanes)between Haiti and Kerala,India(my place of birth).As I contemplated this further,I realized that Haiti is more like the Kerala of 30-40 years ago,not modern Kerala.
Sent from my iPhone
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